Ont. boater charged for open alcohol during marine safety inspection

The West Parry Sound Marine Unit of the Ontario Provincial Police conducted a vessel check for safety equipment on Georgian Bay on August 28, 2025, finding open alcohol on board. Leading to charges for the boat operator. (Ontario Provincial Police/Facebook)

Ontario Provincial Police have charged a vessel operator after a marine safety check uncovered open alcohol on a boat in Georgian Bay last week.

The West Parry Sound Marine Unit conducted the check for safety equipment on Thursday.

“During the inspection, officers discovered multiple open containers of alcohol on board,” police said in a recent social media post.

The operator was charged with operating a boat underway with open liquor under the Liquor Licence and Control Act.

Labour Day reminder

The charge came as police services across the province prepared for a heightened enforcement presence over the final long weekend of the summer.

“With the last long weekend of the summer upon us, police are reminding the public to help keep our roads and waterways safe,” said OPP Const. Brandon Charlebois, in the post.

The OPP emphasizes that laws prohibiting open alcohol apply equally to waterways as they do to roadways.